DPWH tallies 268 gov’t and school buildings partially destroyed in Hinatuan quake

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Davao Region reported that a total of 268 school and national government buildings were partially destroyed by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur on December 2. The estimated damage amounted to P108,497,894.84 for school buildings and P1,899,365.60 for national government buildings. The damages included cracks on walls and falling debris such as ceilings. According to Engr. Alexander Turingan of DPWH XI, there were no reported damages in Davao Occidental and Davao del Sur. Franz Irag, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) XI operations head, emphasized the importance of addressing damages to school buildings, which also serve as evacuation centers during calamities. Dean Ortiz, spokesperson of DPWH XI, highlighted the agency's focus on national roads and bridges, clarifying that they will respond to requests to inspect private and government buildings. Architect Kashagar Toghyani, officer-in-charge of the Office City Building Official (OCBO) of Davao City, urged private building owners to promptly engage professional engineers to assess structural integrity, especially for buildings housing more than 10 individuals. He emphasized the necessity of fire inspections and transparency with building occupants to ensure their safety. The recent earthquakes did not affect government buildings in the Davao Region, and DPWH is committed to conducting thorough assessments and ensuring the safety of buildings and their occupants in the aftermath of the quake......»»